Job Application API

A RESTful API for a job application platform built with Go, Gin, GORM, and PostgreSQL.

Features

• User Authentication: JWT-based authentication with role-based access control
• Two User Roles:
  • Companies: Can post, update, delete jobs and manage applications
  • Applicants: Can browse jobs, apply, and track applications
• Job Management: Full CRUD operations for job postings
• Application System: Apply to jobs with resume upload and cover letters
• Search & Filtering: Search jobs by title, location, and company name
• Pagination: All list endpoints support pagination
• File Upload: Resume upload integration with Cloudinary

Technology Stack

• Backend: Go 1.21+
• Framework: Gin Web Framework
• Database: PostgreSQL with GORM ORM
• Authentication: JWT tokens
• File Storage: Cloudinary
• Validation: go-playground/validator

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/signup - User registration
• POST /api/auth/login - User login

Jobs (Company Only)

• POST /api/jobs - Create job posting
• PUT /api/jobs/:id - Update job posting
• DELETE /api/jobs/:id - Delete job posting
• GET /api/jobs/my-jobs - Get company's job postings
• GET /api/jobs/:id/applications - Get applications for a job

Jobs (Applicant Only)

• GET /api/jobs - Browse available jobs (with filters)
• POST /api/jobs/:id/apply - Apply to a job

Jobs (Both Roles)

• GET /api/jobs/:id - Get job details

Applications

• GET /api/applications/my-applications - Get applicant's applications (Applicant only)
• PUT /api/applications/:id/status - Update application status (Company only)

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Go 1.21 or higher
• PostgreSQL database
• Cloudinary account (for file uploads)

Installation

1. Clone the repository ```bash git clone cd job-api ```

2. Install dependencies ```bash go mod download ```

3. Set up environment variables ```bash cp .env.example .env ```

   Edit .env file with your configuration: ```env DB_HOST=localhost DB_USER=postgres DB_PASSWORD=your-password DB_NAME=job_api DB_PORT=5432 JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your-cloud-name CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your-api-key CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your-api-secret PORT=8080 ```

4. Create PostgreSQL database ```sql CREATE DATABASE job_api; ```

5. Run the application ```bash go run main.go ```

The server will start on http://localhost:8080

Database Migration

The application automatically creates the required tables on startup using GORM's AutoMigrate feature.

API Usage Examples

User Signup

```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/auth/signup
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{ "name": "John Doe", "email": "john@example.com", "password": "SecurePass123!", "role": "applicant" }' ```

User Login

```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/auth/login
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d '{ "email": "john@example.com", "password": "SecurePass123!" }' ```

Create Job (Company)

```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/jobs
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_JWT_TOKEN"
-d '{ "title": "Software Engineer", "description": "We are looking for a skilled software engineer to join our team...", "location": "Remote" }' ```

Browse Jobs (Applicant)

```bash curl -X GET "http://localhost:8080/api/jobs?page=1&page_size=10&title=engineer"
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_JWT_TOKEN" ```

Apply for Job (Applicant)

```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/jobs/JOB_ID/apply
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_JWT_TOKEN"
-d '{ "resume_link": "https://res.cloudinary.com/your-cloud/raw/upload/resume.pdf", "cover_letter": "I am very interested in this position..." }' ```

Response Format

Base Response

```json { "success": true, "message": "Operation successful", "object": { /* response data */ }, "errors": null } ```

Paginated Response

```json { "success": true, "message": "Data retrieved successfully", "object": [ /* array of items */ ], "page_number": 1, "page_size": 10, "total_size": 50, "errors": null } ```

Validation Rules

User Registration

• Name: Required, alphabets only
• Email: Required, valid email format, unique
• Password: Required, minimum 8 characters, must contain:
  • At least one uppercase letter
  • At least one lowercase letter
  • At least one digit
  • At least one special character
• Role: Required, must be "applicant" or "company"

Job Creation

• Title: Required, 1-100 characters
• Description: Required, 20-2000 characters
• Location: Optional

Job Application

• Resume Link: Required, valid URL
• Cover Letter: Optional, maximum 200 characters

Security Features

• Password hashing using bcrypt
• JWT token-based authentication
• Role-based access control
• Input validation and sanitization
• CORS support
• SQL injection prevention through GORM

Error Handling

The API returns appropriate HTTP status codes and error messages:

• 400 Bad Request: Invalid input data
• 401 Unauthorized: Missing or invalid authentication
• 403 Forbidden: Insufficient permissions
• 404 Not Found: Resource not found
• 409 Conflict: Duplicate resource (e.g., email already exists)
• 500 Internal Server Error: Server-side errors

Development

Project Structure

``` job-api/ ├── config/ # Database configuration ├── handlers/ # HTTP request handlers ├── middleware/ # Authentication and authorization middleware ├── models/ # Database models and response structures ├── utils/ # Utility functions (JWT, validation, etc.) ├── main.go # Application entry point ├── go.mod # Go module dependencies └── README.md # This file ```